About Us
BHS is dedicated to providing mental health support for marginalized and exploited youth in our communities and around the world via our remote services. We believe that every young person deserves access to the resources and support they need to thrive, regardless of their background or circumstances. Our team of dedicated professionals provides outreach counselling, therapy, and other mental health services to young people escaping the influence of gangs, prostitution and all forms of criminal exploitation. Through our programs, we aim to empower young people to take control of their mental health and build the resilience they need to navigate the challenges of life. Join us in our mission to build a more equitable and supportive world for all youth.
In addition to providing direct services, we strive to raise awareness and educate the community about the importance of mental health for marginalized youth. We partner with schools, community centers, and other organizations to provide workshops and trainings on topics such as trauma-informed care and cultural competency.
Our team is made up of culturally diverse and trained counselors, therapists, social workers and volunteers. We also provide support groups, safe houses, behaviour intervention, and peer mentorship programs, as well as family counseling and support. We also understand that access to mental health care can be a barrier for marginalized and exploited youth, so we work to ensure that our services are accessible to all who need them.
Crisis Counseling
Emergency immediate intervention during a crisis or critical incident.
Group Therapy
Helping one another by sharing our experience strength and hope in a safe, judgment-free group setting.
Complex Trauma Counseling
Discovering and overcoming the underlying cause of our emotional pain.
Addiction Counseling
Working towards a life free from alcohol and drugs.
The Teenage Brain and Addiction
Problems Facing LGBTQ Youth Today
Frances Jensen, MD, Sr. Associate in Medicine & Director of Epilepsy Research at Children's Hospital Boston, explains what makes the teenage brain susceptible to alcohol and drug addiction. If you are who's worried about the possibility that your teen could become hooked on drugs or alcohol, one thing you definitely don't want to do is treat them like a mini version of yourself.
That's because you're not of the same brain – that is, your adolescent's brain is still developing and differs from an adult's. As nature intended, your teen is able to absorb new information and make neural connections at a faster rate than adults can. But at this stage in development, teens are also neurologically inclined to take more risks and try new things – a very necessary, crucial part of growing up, and a propensity that can also put them in precarious positions. For one thing, teens are more vulnerable to addiction than adults.
"The teenage brain is really in a unique developmental stage that is still very much under construction and it has unique strengths … and weaknesses," says neurologist Dr. Frances Jensen, chair of the department of neurology in the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, and co-author of "The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist's Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults." "Ironically, both play into this increased susceptibility to addiction."
As the movement towards LGBT rights gains increasing attention worldwide, Shelby Ferrier took her stance to the TEDxYouth@SeaburyHall stage. Watch her Talk to better understand LGBTQ people across the different spectrums of sexuality and gender. Shelby Ferrier is a fifteen-year-old student at Seabury Hall. She takes part in as many theatrical productions in Seabury Hall as she can and also is one of the chief members of the math team. As an extension of the math team, she volunteers in the Math Circle where she teaches third graders advanced math. She tends to be very active in controversial discussion especially that on LGBT+ issues. Some of her hobbies include learning about plants and space, riding her bike, and going to the skate rink.
The Secret to Unlocking a Child's Potential
Samantha Ettus focuses on human potential. In this provocative talk, she argues that going beyond pink and blue is essential to helping all children get from where they are today to what they could become tomorrow. At a time when princess, pink and pretty are marketed more heavily than ever before, gender stereotypes have become even more prevalent. Ettus passionately makes the case that it is only by removing gender bias from the home, the classroom, the toy stores and the media, that all children will have the opportunity to reach their full potential. Samantha Ettus is a work/life wellness and parenting expert. She has worked with thousands of celebrities, CEOs and professionals who aim to perform at the highest levels in their professional and personal lives. Since earning her undergraduate and MBA degrees from Harvard, Sam has become a bestselling author of four books, a writer for Forbes, a sought after speaker and host of a nationally syndicated call-in radio show. Sam's fifth book, The Pie Life: A Woman’s Recipe for Success and Satisfaction, will be published in September, 2016. Sam has a powerful social media following and is consistently called on by traditional media outlets for her parenting and career advice. She makes regular national television appearances on shows including Access Hollywood, The Today Show, The Security Brief, Home and Family and Fox and Friends, among others.
What adolescents need to thrive
Dr. Charisse Nixon is a development psychologist who studies at-risk behavior as well as protective factors among children and adolescents. According to Nixon, we know that kids and adults are suffering. In fact, some research studies have shown that rates of depression and anxiety have actually increased over the past 50 years. According to recent research, we know that approximately 1 in 5 youth will suffer from a major depressive episode by the time they leave high school. In the middle of our fast-paced, technologically driven world, adolescents stand before you — searching for purpose… searching to fit in and belong. After decades of research of those who have studied this field, one thing is very clear: meaningful connections serve as protective factors in the lives of our youth. Nixon shares her ideas on how we can help our youth build those meaningful connections.